Coal-car guard.



Patented Apr. 3, 1917.`

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. K. FREDERICK.

COAL CAR GUARD.

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C. K. FREDERICK.

COAL CAR GUARD.

APPLICATloN FILED OCT. 16. 1915.

1,221,434. Patented Apr. 3,1917.

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C. K. FREDERICK.

COAL CAR GUARD,

APPLICATION msn OCT-16.1916,

L22 1,43% Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

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'mi Noam: Erma uo. :wom umn. mammnom n CARL K. FREDERICK, 0E DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

COAL-CAR GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917..

Application led October 16, 1916. Serial No. 125,816.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, CARL K. FREDERICK, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Coal- Car Guards, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to coal car guards, and my invention aims to furnish a coal car body with strong and durable guards that can be easily and quickly placed in aposition to cover and screen the top of a car filled with coal or other merchandise, the guards being arranged to assume positions in parallelism with the outer sides of the car walls, so as not to interfere with the usual filling or loading of the coal car.

Large quantities of coal are lost by persons surreptitiously removing coal from the top of coal cars while inv transit. Small boys with poles will often pry loose lumps from the edge of the car and unscrupulous men will board cars and throw olf such coal as is loose and convenient to handle. To prevent this nefarious practice, l have devised novel guards that can be easily manipulated and used in connection with cars of various kinds.

rllhe matter entering into my invention will be hereinafter described and then claimed, and reference will now be had to the drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a coal car provided with guards in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the car showing the guards in an .operative position;

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the car, partly broken away and partly in section, showing the nia-nner of placing the guards in operative position; n

Fig. i is a detailed view of a portion of the end guard, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a portion of the manipulating mechanism.

ln the drawing, there is shown a car.

body having longitudinal parallel side walls 1 and end walls 2, said end walls having upper inclined edges 3 constituting end supports. 1t is preferable to have the edges 3 inclined downwardly from a point central of the upper edge of each wall to the side walls l, as shown in either of the end views, Figs. 2 and 3. At the juncture of the end walls 2 and the side walls 1, there are vertical angle bars t coperating with said walls 1 in providing open channels or guides for the ends of foraminous guards 5. The foraminous guards 5 are preferably in the form of rectangular frames supporting a strong and durable wire fabric or metallic screen. These frames are adapted to slide in the end guides and rest upon yieldable seats 6 provided therefor in the lower ends of said guards.

Journaled in the end walls 2, contiguous to the upper ends of the angle bars 4, are the ends of longitudinal shafts 7 and attached to said shafts and adapted to wind and unwind thereon are chains or cables 8. These chains or cables 8 are attached to the lower edge of each guard and by rotat' ing the shafts 7 the guards 5 may be raised above the upper edges of the walls 1, said guards having shoes or rollers 9 to ride against the angle bars 4t as the guards are raised.

To operate the shafts 7, the outer sides of the end walls 2 are provided with hoisting and brake mechanism. 0n the' ends of the shafts 7 are small gear wheels 10 meshing with gear wheels 11 mounted upon rotatable stud shafts 12 journaled in the end walls 2 and brackets 13 carried thereby. Mounted upon the shafts 12 are large gear wheels 14: and brake wheels 15. rlhe large gear wheels 14 mesh with small gear wheels 16 mounted upon shafts 17, journaled in the end walls 2 and the brackets 13. The shafts 17 are adapted to be rotated by suitable cranks or handles placed on the outer rectangular ends thereof and gravity pawls 18 are adapted to hold the shafts 17 against accidental rotation. Associated with the brake wheels 15 are brake bands 19 and levers 20, these elements controlling the rotation of the shafts 17 when the pawls 13 are thrown out of engagement with the small gear wheels 16.

Pivotally connected to the ends of the guards 5, at the upper edge thereof, are end arms composed of rods 21 and tubular members 22, said rods extending into the tubular members 22 and connected thereto by coiled springs 23 encircling the inner ends of the rods 21, so that the rods 21 may yield relative to the tubular members 22. The tubular members 22 have the lower ends thereof pivotally Y connected Vto'V blocks V24 slidable in vertically disposed channel guides 25 on the outer sidesof the end walls 2. These channel guides have the lower ends thereof provided with yieldable seats 26 for the blocks 24. The blocks 24 are connectedto chains or cables27 trained over sheaves or pulleysv 28 adjacent the upper edges of the walls 2, and said Vchains or cables eXtend'downwardly. and are attached to and woundf uponldrums 29 supported by brackets 30, carried'by the end walls 2.` f The drums 29. have largegearwheels. 311 meshing with small gearwheels 32 onshafts 33 journaled in the .brackets 3() and said shafts V willvaccommodate handles for cranks by which movement maybe impartedl tothe accidental rotation :of the shafts jIn'Fig.L-2,the guardsi' are shown in an' active position, coveringV or closingV the top of the car body byresting upon the inclined edges 3 `of the end walls 2. In this 'position of the'g'uards 5,'the end arms are'in parallelism, and when fit is desired to restore the guards" 'ito -an'f inactive position Iin parallel? ism withthe side walls `:l 'of the car, the dru'ms29 are rotated to `wind the chains or cables '27 thereon and elevate the blocls24 in the channel-guides 25; As the blocks 24 are raised, the upper edges ofthe guards 5 are shifted fupwa'rdly by the end arms to the i position shown in Fig. 3. By holding the shaftsjag'ainstrotationthrough the me diumofthe brake: band 19 and the levers 20, the pawls 18can be thrown out and the shafts' 7 allowed-to gradually rotate and= lowerthe guards 5 inthe angle bars 4, said guards descending by gravity. vDuring these operations the springs 23 of' the end arms will'coinpensate for any inequalities between the positionsof the upper ends of tlie'guards and the blocks 24, besides serving as cushioning springs when the guards are lowered on to .the upper' edges'of the walls 2.

Frointhe foregoing, it will be observed that I'. have devised hoistingdevices fork raising thev guaiids'oyer the side walls of the car body and other hoistingr devices for lowering the guards intooperative positionand assisting in restoring said' guards to an in@ active position, all ofy said devices being manually actuated and easily controlled.

VVhile'in the drawings there is'illustrated l a. preferred embodiment of my invention, it

is to be understoodV that the structural elements are susceptible to such variations andv .modications as fall within the scope lof the appended claims. What Iclaim isz- Y l. The combination with a car body, of

foraminous guards arranged in parallelism foraminous guards arranged in parallelism` with `the sidewallsof said car body, and

adapted to be raised to rest upon the end walls of said car bodyfandprovideafcoverfor the top of said car body,-means con-.- nected` to the lower ends of said guards fadaptedfor raisingand lowering saidguards, and end arms connected to the ends Vof said guards at the upper edges thereofv adapted for controlling the raising-and low f Y I erng of said guards. drums/29. Gravity pawls 34 are adapted 1 yto prevent 3. rlhe combination with a car bodyfhavling side walls and end walls, of guards-inI parallelism witlr the outerisides -o-fsaid side a walls and adapted to be raisedand'loweredf said car body, means operable on the end of said car bodyvand having connection with the ends of said-guards at the upper edgesl on to said end walls to'providea cover for thereof adapted for controllingthe move-i ment of the upper edges of saidguards.A

4. The combination with a car body -havi 4ing side walls and end walls, of guides-at the ends of the sidewalls of said car body,

guards sldable' in said guides normally yin parallelism with the sidewalls ofsaidcar f I ibody, yarms'attached to said guardsfat the ends-thereof, means lon the end walls of said Iear body for raising and lowering the lower edges of said guards, and means on the end walls of said car body for raising and lowering said arms.

5. The combination withacar body liavr ing side walls and end walls, of vertical guides at the ends of said side walls, forain- Y inous guards slidable in said guides and normally in parallelism with the sidewalls of guides on the end walls of said car body,

blocks slidable iii said guides, arms connectsaid car body, hoisting devices onthe endy ing said blocks and the ends of said guards at the upper edges thereof, and means `on the end walls of said car body for raising and lowering said blocks.l

6. The combination with a car bodyhaving side walls and end walls, of shiftableL guards normally in parallelism withI the outer sides of the side walls of said car body and adapted to be raised and lowered on to the end walls of said car body to provide a cover therefor, arms at the end walls of` said car body adapted for. raising said guards 01T of the end walls of said ear bodyto permit of said guards lowering by gravity into parallelism with the side walls of said car body, and means attached to the lower edges of said guards and operable at the end walls of said car body for controlling the lowering movement of said guards.

In testimony whereof I aiX. my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CARL K. FREDERICK.

Witnesses:

KARL II. BUTLER, ANNA M. Donn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patent, Washington, D. C. 

